1. Field
This invention generally relates to a firearm having a collection of mechanisms and arrays, conceived to manage recoil by changing the dynamic behavior of the weapon when firing, in a manner that redirects forces, creates delays, decelerates motion, and lowers significantly the center of gravity, resulting in an improvement of the handling of the gun, accommodating the subassemblies in an array, and receiver, being compact, portable ergonomic, with a low center of gravity, and capable of functioning with large rifle cartridges.
Specially In one embodiment, this invention is about a firearm having an Articulated Bolt Train 90 FIG. 9 and FIG. 9A, FIG. 12 TO FIG. 12C and a by design Receiver 66 FIG. 10B, FIG. 11B, FIG. 12B, FIG. 12C that operates in conjunction. In order to function properly, the Bolt Train 90 has to be placed inside a Receiver 66 that controls and governs its path, and holds all the sub assemblies in the convenient location allowing the synchronic movements of all the components to take place. The Receiver 66 FIG. 10 A, FIG. 20 can have different shapes, dimensions, and proportions to be used in several applications as shown in FIG. 18.
The Articulated Bolt Train 90 consists of a Front Bolt of either Types 20, 20A or 20B, as shown in FIG. 2B, initially moving along the bore axis, articulately linked at the rear to a Mechanism Carriage Housing 40 types 40 or 40B as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, containing The Active Firing Mechanisms. The Mechanism Carriage Housing 40 displaces transversally, articulately linked at the rear to another optional carriage displacing transversally also comprising a Recoil Damper Sub Assembly 64 FIG. 4B. The Articulated Train Bolt 90 is track mounted on slot Channel guides 80 FIG. 10A embedded or supported laterally inside the receiver 66, directing a transversal path. In This invention the conventional firing, mechanisms assembly is separated physically in two different groups. The Active Firing Mechanisms subassembly 39 FIG. 5B comprise the hammer, the hammer spring, the sear, sear lever; all of them placed inside a moveable mechanisms carriage housing 40 and are an integral part of the Bolt Train 90. The controlling firing mechanisms subassembly 74 FIG. 5B, FIG. 5C comprise the trigger 75, the lever 76, the safe 77, the column spring fire actuator, and disengager 78 which are housed in a stationary compact small frame 79 in a convenient fixed location. The Fire Actuator and Disengager or disconnector 78A can be of a solid piece sustained by a convenient spring mounted support, enabling its deflection, after being pushed aside by the sear protrusion portion on the forward displacement after firing. Part 78, or alternatively part 78A, have al dual function: pushing the sear out of the engaging surface with the Mechanism Carriage Housing 40, and serving as disconnector for the semiautomatic firing mode.
The Active Firing Mechanisms subassembly 39 compact mechanism array integrates its mass and its volume to the Bolt Train 90 and significantly reduces the number of parts, volume, weight, and lowers the center of gravity, resulting in an effective recoil management absorbing system for automatic or semiautomatic firearms.
2. Background Prior Art
Previously, in firearms, the use of articulated or toggled bolts and connecting masses to control recoil is very old. When recoiling, these types of mechanisms displace in a different direction of the barrel axis creating force vectors partially diverting the initial recoil force, away from the bore axis. Many guns generate impulses provoke perpendicular components to the to the axis of the barrel The use of this principle is present in the first known auto loading pistol invented by Hugo Borchardt in the C-93 pistol (1893), U.S. Pat. No. 577,183 of Feb. 16, 1897, and the same principle for displacing the bolt rearwards and the heavy connecting bars transversally to reduce the axial recoil is used by Georg Luger in (1898) U.S. Pat. No. 753,414, in the well known P-08 model. Both, Borchardt and Luger, were following the even earlier design of Hiram Maxim U.S. Pat. No. 317,161 of May 5, 1885 incorporating the toggle lock or knee principle. Borchardt and Luger had an exterior articulating bolt fixedly hinged grounded to the frame at the rear. A similar approach was taken by J. D. Pedersen U.S. Pat. No. 1,737,974 of Dec. 3, 1229, who opt to apply the toggle knee mechanism in a semiautomatic rifle for military use utilizing long rifle cartridges, in which the heavy link bars displaced upwards generating a large momentum vector upwards having a component perpendicular to the axis of the barrel. An application of this rifle was the T1 E3 in 30-06 cartridge. The rifle showed impressive recoil characteristics and the proved that by scaling up the dimensions of the knee toggle mechanism, previously used in pistols, could be used in large rifle cartridges. An inconvenience of this rifle was the potential injure danger, to the firer, due to the upwards projection of bar links when discharged close to the body. Years later Walter E. Perrine obtained U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,630,119; 3,861,274; 3,709,091 for firing mechanisms in which the toggle knee principle mechanisms were used to displace the linkages downwards, internally to the receiver upon firing. Again, the displacement of mechanism masses away and downwards from the axis of the barrel had effect on the dynamic behavior of the weapon. All the above Perrine's applications were made in the development of pistol guns, which showed better stability and recoil distribution. Of particular interest is the patent of Walter E. Perrine, U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,739 of Jan. 8, 1974, which refers to an improved mechanism displacing a considerable mass downwards inside the receiver under aspect conditions that allowed a practical, dimensional, ergonomic shape without affecting the classic functional aesthetical silhouette. As a result, upon firing, the recoil force produced a considerable downwards impulse, having a substantial downwards component perpendicular to the axis of the barrel, becoming prior art to the series of patents presented several years later by Jebsen and Herbrat patents, which is one of the permanent predominant claims.
All the above mentioned patents are Kinematic Chains based in the Knee Toggle principle, having three binary links, pivotally connected, in which the rear joint of the Kinematic Chain was pivotally fixed or grounded to the receiver frame, therefore limiting the horizontal travel of the bolt to the length of the links, condition which conflicts with the compactness of the receiver when the articulation of the links occurs downwards. In addition it was a characteristic of this series of patents that that the chain mechanism, could not be placed in perfect alignment with the axis of the barrel when the bolt was closing the breech. A small misalignment of the pivot joints and the links with the axis of the barrel was a necessary condition to induce the rotation of the pivotally articulated links in a certain direction, upwards or downwards, and the displacement of the articulating links in that direction.
All the above mentioned mechanisms have limitations in the Bolt travel length in the horizontal axis; are voluminous in its operation, which disservices compactness; are a potential source of injure to the firer when discharged in a position close to body parts; cannot be placed in perfect alignment with the axis of the barrel; and due to the direct ground contact with the receiver frame by means of a pivot joint, it directly transmits to the receiver the prime horizontal component leading recoil impulse.
Several firearms recoil absorbing systems have been patented recently using similar principles that cause an inertia mass to move downwards or transversally by using the original recoil force, transforming it into two force vectors; Like U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,094 of Jan Henrik Jebsen. In previous inventions like U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,094, the firearm in which the bolt head is attached to an independent body or inertia mass without any mechanisms inside. It is just a sliding dead mass confined to move along a straight path upwards and downwards. The two bodies are connected by series of linked interconnected parts requiring the contact of sloped surfaces to force a displacement of the contacted body like a wedge action, some of them requiring sufficient margin of play, like a slotted guide, placed at an inclined angle at the end of one of the link bodies. A rod, belonging to the bolt, travels horizontally through a slotted guide forcing an inertia mass or slider to move downwards A rod placed transversally to the bolt becomes the contact point between the bolt and the inertia mass. As the bolt travels horizontally it pushes the rod through the inclined slotted guide causing the effect of a wedge by pushing the mass in a transverse direction, and tilting abandoning the axis of the barrel to partially sink below it.
The confined oblique displacement of the dead inertia mass, also named slider, is forced by a prismatic joint of the slider though which it slides linearly only transverse fixed guide bar rear part of the bolt passing through the mass with a “pin in slot” type of joint. However the different means used to achieve the recoil absorption are significantly inefficient in terms of the volume, horizontal bolt travel distance, and total weight required. None of the design solutions involve the use of firing mechanisms displacement, or the use of the firing mechanisms mass as a part of the recoiling inertial mass. U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,094 of Jan Henrik Jebsen uses a complete conventional separate stationary fixed firing mechanism assembly, placed conveniently that necessitates significant volume and weight to operate. The latter mentioned patent does not have any sort of internal recoil abatement mechanisms inside the inertia mass as my this invention has provides. It is notorious for being voluminous and unwieldy. It is voluminous with a very little barrel length
Shortly after, U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,183 of Aug. 16, 2011 of Jebsen and Kerbrat, claiming priority benefits of the U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,094, covered a very similar firearm in which the distinctive difference was a set of intermediate link plates placed between the bolt head and the slider to transmit the recoil impact to the slider by means of sloped, or inclined plane surfaces contacting each other promoting the slider displacement, like a wedge would do.
Additional patents claiming priority benefits of U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,094 were awarded recently as continuations of the latter mentioned patents. They are U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,633 of: Renhaurd Kerbrat of Feb. 28, 2012, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,699 of Jan Henrik Jebsen of Oct. 9, 2012.
In all patents of that series of Jebsen and Kerbrat, the bolt head and slider linkage mechanism is a Kinematic Chain. And said patents reiteratively, and repeatedly define the inertia mass as a “slider”, and Kinematically is a proper expression to describe such type of joint in complete accordance with all of their patent drawings, descriptions, and functional kinematic analysis of their mechanisms. The word “slider” has a sole meaning in total agreement with the definition of “slider” given in kinematics joint classification to be a Prismatic Joint: “a joint moving along a linear path only”. The slider repeatedly is defined to be confined to exclusively move along a rectilinear transverse, upwards and downwards path.
Such over stated definition of the part that is connected to the Bolt Head, completely excludes any possibility of the “slider” to move other than transversally or horizontally, or rotate, or even changing its path partially towards a different bearing. There is no room for another different semantic understanding of the word “slider”.
The supreme interest of theses series of patents in generating a massive momentum vector perpendicular to the axis of the barrel, as a means to counter balance the muzzle raise, is present and evident in every one of the patents U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,094;U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,183;U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,633; U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,699, and their selection and array of inks and mechanisms, for their purpose, well serves the design intent, to the point that the entire mass of the slider or inertia block is confined to move downwards in a solely linear transverse highly steep angle path, through a dedicated passage, and even the bolt abandons the axis of the barrel to follow the inertia block in its sinking to contribute with its mass to increase magnitude of the downwards momentum vector. The transformation of the direction of the momentum vector from horizontal to transverse is expeditiously made by sliding contact, against an inclined surface inside a “pin in slot” closed joint, by a side projection or tennon of the Bolt Head confined and trapped to move along the closed slot.
Said type of joint is classified in Kinematics as a half joint (a higher pair) where a pin allows a link to rotate and the pin itself can slide in the slot. The geometry keeps the joint constrained or closed. Positioned at a steep linear inclination, it allows the side projection of the bolt to contact the two surfaces at an inclined plane, like a wedge, forcing the slider, or inertia block, being one piece with said joint, to displace confined to a downwards and upwards motion with a good mechanical advantage. It is a good link efficiently combining Prismatic and Revolute joints and works well for their objective. However, the inertia mass, or slider, part combines two different types of joints in one: a slider type P (prismatic) joint, and a pin in closed slot, which is very restrictive in motion because it anchors the bolt to the slider inside the slot and it drastically limits and ruins the bolt head displacement in the horizontal direction, by trapping the Head Bolt tennon inside the closed slotted joint in which it moves, and the slider itself is confined to a transverse motion, as repeatedly and explicitly stipulated in every one of U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,183; U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,633; U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,699, series of patents. This vital restraint, to make their mechanism work, prevents all Jebsen's and Kerbrat's patents bolt head to displace along the horizontal bearing, aligned with the axis of the barrel for long practical distances required to eject and load from magazines large rifle cartridges, without up scaling beyond the realistic dimensions of the slider and the inclined closed slot joint along which the bolt tennon moves. An additional inconvenience of the array of this Kinematic Chain is the immediate transmission of the initial primary horizon component of the recoil impulse directly to the receiver frame when the tennon of the bolt head impacts the first steep surface of the slotted joint, transmitting the force to the prismatic joint connected to the receiver frame.
Recapping: The firearms covered by Jebsen and Kerbart patents have limitations intrinsic to the design manifested in the following disadvantages:                The horizontal Bolt Head horizontal travel is severely limited due to the transitive grounding of the bolt's tennon inside the slider, which in turn is confined to upwards and downwards transversal displacement only.        The Slider can't follow the bolt head in its complete forward horizontal travel to close the breech.        The Slider and the bolt head can never be aligned along their longitudinal axes        Under the perspective of Kinematics, the “slider” is defined as a link moving exclusively along a rectilinear path.        The slider is grounded by a prismatic joint to a track, and thus confined to a transversal path in a manner that completely excludes any displacement along the horizontal axis.        The short limited horizontal travel of the bolt realistically excludes the practical use of rotary bolts        The short limited horizontal travel of the bolt realistically excludes its practical use in firearms using long cartridges by scaling up dimensions to maintain the angular proportions under which this mechanism works.        The “pin in slot” link mechanism, at the top of the slider, is similar to the action of a wedge where a force applied to an actuating part, having a flat slopped surface, produces a displacement of a part in contact, having a component perpendicular to the axis of the applied force.        The grounded slider has said steeply inclined, closed slotted surface over which the bolt tennon displaces, becomes an efficient mechanism to decompose the recoiling force of he bolt into the vectorial components associated with the trigonometric functions corresponding to the geometry of the slotted shape mechanism. Meaning that for larger calibers to work it is necessary to scale up the dimensions, maintaining the aspect ratio, proportions, and the angles within certain close tolerance to preserve the vectorial decomposition of forces which make this mechanism work.        The short limited horizontal travel of the bolt realistically limits its practical use to pistol calibers only.        The mass distribution of the Bolt and slider array concentrates most of the mass in the slider.        The slider mass travels exclusively through a dedicated passageway, which is not the handle.        The firing mechanism is placed in a fixed dedicated location, well above the axis of the barrel, which raises the center of gravity and requires a containing volume.        Per se, these firearms are voluminous, heavy, not compact, unwieldy.        Per se, these firearms transmit to the receiver, and thus to the firer, an horizontal jerky transient force due to the instant contact of the bolt tennon against a very steep slotted surface of the slider as the bolt blows back immediately after firing.        When the bolt head is in its most forward position, closing the breech, the vertex shaped contoured, steeply inclined, upper part of the slider requires to be well above the axis of the barrel, demanding, by default, a bulky upper volume of the receiver to contain such piece, and by default, contributing to raise the center of gravity. This vertex shape, is unavoidable because is the highest point portion of the sloped linear surfaces against which the tennon of the bolt slides.        
With respect to the Delay Blowback breech opening function that my invention has, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,345 of Theodor Koch is important to mention because it has been extensively divulged and promoted by its use in the Heckler and Koch G3 rifles and especially in the very well known MP 5 sub machineguns. It causes a delay in the breech opening by means of a complicated mechanism inside the bolt whereby a set of sprig loaded rollers are forced to move along a pair of closing arc circle surfaces generating a retention of the force produced by the increasing gas pressure inside the barrel until the point where it overcomes the force of the rollers mechanism, generating a delay. The use of such mechanism has been successful, but has several disadvantages: it is sensitive to dirt, it requires lubrication, rollers break, springs fatigue, and does not lend to trimming. Rollers and pivoting pins are subject to strong forces requiring very demanding manufacture specifications about materials and process controls.